1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrode for water electrolysis and for a process for producing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrodes, as well as processes for their manufacture, are particularly known from the technology developed for fuel cells, as for example from Berger, Carl, "Handbook of Fuel Cell Technology", pages 401-406, (Prentiss-Hall 1968) and Liebhafsky, H. A., and Cairns, E. J., "Fuel Cells and Fuel Batteries", pages 289-294 (John Wiley & Sons, 1968). The demand for an exactly defined reaction zone however requires a multiple-layer design and special treatment processes for such fuel cell electrodes.
The aforementioned electrodes are too complex in the design and too complicated and expensive in their production methods for water electrolysis. This fact applies particularly to production methods for large industrial plants involved in the economic production of hydrogen.
Electrodes for water electrolysis cells have been proposed, as for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,409. These are mostly doped with catalysts, to accelerate the electro-chemical reactions.
The described electrodes have drawbacks with respect to their mechanical and chemical characteristics and the same is true with respect to those with applied catalysts.
A need therefore continues to exist for an electrode useful in water electrolysis which is not too complex in design, which is useful for the large industrial production of hydrogen and which has superior mechanical and chemical characteristics.